


My voice is silent (but my thoughts are right)

by larrysmiles



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, And helps him find his body, Blow Jobs, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Ghost Harry, Hand Jobs, Harry was murdered, Human Louis, Louis helps him find out who killed him, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Rimming, Romance, Smut, a small side of lilo, don't worry there's smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-14 14:23:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4567839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larrysmiles/pseuds/larrysmiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis buys a house and moves in. Maybe he falls in love with a beautiful ghost and helps him solve the case of his murder while he's at it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song Ghost by Sky Ferreira, since it was so fitting.  
> This fic is as realistic as a ghost/human love story can get. This fic is also as realistic as I could possibly make it in order for there to be smut. So towards the end (maybe) it might be a little unrealistic? but I promise it won't be extra or anything like that.  
> Enjoy!
> 
> Update: 11/07/16   
> Warning: I began writing this story over a year ago when I had no idea what I was doing. I haven't updated in a while and I never have time to, but I'll try to update it soon. There are so many errors in grammar and wording so please bear with me through this process. I'm working on the fourth chapter but it may not be done for a while since I can't remember where I was going with this story if I'm being honest. Thank you for your nice comments, I'm trying my best.

The sun was low in the sky when Zayn, sweaty and exhausted, emerged from behind the moving truck. In his hands was the last dented cardboard box. It was labelled "kitchen" in black marker, and Zayn dropped it off in the hallway leading to the living room. He wiped the dripping sweat off his forehead and took a few deep breaths. Behind him, the sky cast an orange glow across Louis' white picket fence neighborhood. He sighed and turned towards his best friend.

"Thank you man, I really appreciate you helping me out like this." Louis said, a smile reaching his ears plastered on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it. As long as this gets me free weed the next few weeks." Zayn said.

"'Course, except you usually get it anyway." Louis said, rolling his eyes.

Zayn just smiled and shook his shoes off. They smelled like a high school boys' locker room and his shirt was covered in as much dust as Louis' running shoes. It took a lot of will but Louis decided not to make any comments because he most likely smelled and looked the same. They took off their shoes and met with Niall in the kitchen, who was examining the inside of Louis' cabinets.

"Looking for the food I haven't bought yet?" Louis asked.

"No, just seeing if the last owner left anything else behind." Niall said, standing on his tip-toes to see on the top shelf. 

"Got something!" He exclaimed, pulling something off the shelf. 

Louis and Zayn joined Niall at the counter and found a small stack of dusty movies sitting in front of him. Next to it was a chipped shot glass from Miami, Florida, also caked with dust. Louis squinted, confused. Who would leave behind Project X, Dodgeball, Knocked Up, and Nightmare on Elm Street? Screw Night at the Museum, though, he saw why someone would leave that. 

"If they traveled, why would they leave a souvenir behind?" Zayn asked.

"Maybe they were in a rush, I say we put it to good use." Niall answered, lifting it up.

Louis shrugged, "why not? I need a drink while I unpack. You two better help me."

Niall and Zayn groaned but let Louis lead them to the living room anyway. Louis really did have the best friends anyone could ask for.

 

Niall woke up on Louis' new carpet the next morning, blurry eyed and tired. Louis was humming along to a Britney Spears song while he unpacked a lamp and some pictures. His old treadmill was already unfolded in the corner, and the packed boxes from last night were empty. He'd been up for a while. Niall groaned and shoved Zayn. He rolled over and mumbled something into the floor and Niall shoved him again. 

"Jesus, let me sleep." Zayn grumbled.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty, I made waffles." Louis grinned, the thrill of being a homeowner running through his veins. 

Niall rushed to the kitchen in only a pair of green boxers, dyed blonde hair a mop on his head. Louis smiled and sipped his tea before pulling Zayn up from his spot on the floor. Zayn yawned as Louis dragged him to the kitchen and forced him to sit on one of his wooden IKEA chairs. Niall was by the stove, piling a few waffles on a plastic plate. 

-

Harry stood outside of the entrance to the kitchen, listening to the new owners of the house. They'd used Harry's shot glass from Miami  _and_ watched Project X. Those were his! Of course, he couldn't do anything about it and he didn't actually blame them. If he found items in his new house, he'd use them too. Or maybe not. On second thought, he would definitely not use someone else's shot glass. He shook his head when he heard light footsteps approaching. He knew each of the boys' footsteps by now. Zayn's were heavy and slow, Niall's were fast and hard, like a racehorse. Louis' though, Louis' were light and graceful, like everything else about him. Harry was lucky he haunted a house that a cute boy lived in.

He snapped out of his thoughts and literally snapped, turning himself invisible as Louis rounded the corner. Louis paused in front of Harry, and Harry swore his nonexistent heart stopped beating.  _What if his transparency didn't work this time?_  

Louis rubbed his arm, "Niall turn the damn temperature up, it's like the penguin exhibit at the zoo in here!"

Harry sighed a bit too loud, and Louis' head snapped over to where he was standing. He squinted susipiciously, and Harry held his breath.

A response came a few seconds later, "Whattya screaming 'bout, Lou, it's like 80 in here!"

Louis shook his head and climbed the stairs. Harry followed him slowly, trying not to get the stairs to creak beneath him. Louis reached the top and turned to his right, towards his bedroom and bathroom. Harry dashed up the rest of the stairs as Louis was shutting the door to the bathroom. Harry decided he wouldn't be creepy and walk through the wall into the bathroom. He turned and went back to where Zayn and Niall were sitting downstairs.

They were chatting about some video game Harry didn't know. He laughed silently, he probably died before it came out anyway.  _Being dead really turned his humor dark,_ he thought. He shrugged and decided it was time to go back into his hiding closet before he turned visible. He rushed to the closet in the living room, where he slept the night before. Louis' hoodies and jackets were stored in there. He hung them up, but Harry needs comfort too. He's visible when he sleeps, which means he can feel discomfort and temperature. That's why four of Louis' hoodies are currently on the floor of the closet. Another plus was they smelled like Louis, cologne, cigarettes, and weed. They probably shouldn't smell as good as they do. 

He waited for a few hours in the closet as Louis and his friends chatted, watched TV, and smoked weed. He only hid because the longer he stayed visible, the longer he could be invisible. Because the house was empty for so long, Harry stayed visible the whole time. So you'd think that he'd be able to stay invisible for months at a time. That wasn't the case. For every hour he stayed visible, he could be invisible for five minutes. Luckily, time was nonexistent for Harry and passed by pretty fast. 

He could tell it was almost evening when Zayn and Niall finally left. From the crack under the door, he could see a dark blue glow covering the floor. He peeked under to make sure Louis wasn't in the living room, then slowly opened the door. It creaked loud enough for Louis to rush into the living room. Harry snapped his fingers as soon as he heard the light footsteps. 

Immediately, Louis stared at the closet in confusion. Harry moved across the room just to make sure it wasn't him Louis was staring at. Although, that would probably get a bigger reaction than the closet door being open. Louis hesitated, then made his way over to the closet and looked inside. When he didn't see anything, he sighed and pulled the door open further. As soon as he saw his hoodies on the floor, he paused again. Harry felt bad for scaring him, but he  _did_ need a place to sleep, and it was his house first. 

Louis hung the hoodies back up and shrugged to himself.  _Hopefully he thinks they slipped off or something,_ Harry thought. Louis walked over to the couch and grabbed a blue book that was sitting on the end table. He sprawled himself out on the couch and told his phone to play some song by Justin Bieber. Harry caught his snicker before it could slip out and scare the shit out of Louis. Then he realized,  _his phone just played a song that Louis told it to play._ Damn, Harry wished he was alive for this kind of technology. He died when the iPhone 4 was cool. 

-

Harry watched Louis silently for the next week. Louis went about his business for the week. He worked from home, made himself dinner, occasionally had friends over. His friends were Zayn, Niall, and Liam. Liam never came when the others did, and Harry doesn't think he should mention what him and Louis do (or  _who they do)._ Harry would be jealous because, let's face it, he's obsessed with Louis. He isn't though, because Louis doesn't even know about him, and he's also a ghost. Also, it seems like they hate fuck. No "I love you's," or hugs and kisses. As soon as Liam walks in, they're in the bedroom and then Liam leaves when they're done. That's it. 

He also realized that he tends to feel what Louis' feeling. Harry has nothing else to focus on besides Louis. That means he tends to worry with Louis, smile with Louis, and fume with Louis. That's why that Sunday night, when Louis got a phone call from his mom, Harry wanted to cry with Louis.

Harry sat on the arm of the couch, opposite side of Louis. Louis was watching Breaking Bad and eating popcorn, and Harry tried to pay attention to the show. He really did. He just didn't know anything about it. He'd smile when someone would make a funny joke, but he barely knew what the show was about. Then, Louis got a phone call and paused the TV. Harry looked at the clock to check how much invisibility time he had left. A half an hour. He was tired anyways.

"Mom?" Louis answered the phone. He checked the time and asked why she was calling so late.

"It's about grandma, Lou." Harry heard Louis' mom sniffle.

"Is she sick?" Louis asked, suddenly sitting straight up.

"No, she," (sniffle) "she passed away."

Louis froze and stared at a random spot on the floor. His eyes began to water, and soon tears were pouring down his round cheeks. Harry wanted to hold him. He moved to the spot behind Louis, wanting to be as close as he could. 

"Louis?" His mom asked, worried.

"When?" Louis asked, voice cracking.

"An hour ago, nobody knew she was in the hospital until twenty minutes ago, then it was too late." Her voice cracked too.

"Shit." Louis muttered, "When's the funeral?"

"Thursday. 3PM." 

"I'll be there, just-" He sighed, "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Love you, Louis."

"Love you too, Mom."

Harry watched as Louis wept by himself. He frowned and reached his hand out. It went straight through Louis' shoulder, but he just needed to feel like he was comforting him. Louis stiffened and turned around, shaking his head when nothing was there. Harry never wanted to see him cry ever again.

-

Louis felt heartbroken at the news. His grandmother was one of his favorite people in the world. She spent so much time with him when he was younger, Louis wished he could go back. He cried to himself for a minute. His nose was already stuffy and his eyes already felt heavy, but he needed to let it all out.

Then, a heavy chill ran down his back from his shoulder. It scared the shit out of him, if he was honest, and he turned around to make sure no one was there.  _Of course no one is there, Louis. Did you expect a ghost to be touching you?_ He shook his head at himself for being so stupid, then he grabbed his car keys, slipped his shoes on, and dragged himself out of the house at 9pm.

-

Harry watched Louis leave and decided to get some sleep while he was gone. He slipped into the closet and cuddled into the hoodies he pulled back down from their hangers. He felt himself return to visibility and drifted off to thoughts of Louis' grandmother. He hoped she made it past the ghost stage. It really wasn't as cool as people made it out to be.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to write articles so ignore that part.

Harry was stretched out on the couch, drifting off to sleep when Louis came back home. As soon as he heard the door being unlocked, he bolted upright and snapped his fingers. Invisibility welcomed him with loss of feeling and smell. He stood up as the door opened, revealing a tired and most likely high Louis. 

Harry suddenly froze,  _he left the radio on._

_-_

Louis hung up his jacket and keys, then stopped where he was. Was that music playing? He knew for sure he didn't leave the radio on before he left.

"Niall? Zayn?" He called out, cautiously taking a step forward.

No answer.

"Guys, this isn't funny. I thought you two went to Matt's tonight." He said. 

He followed the sound of the music into the living room and stared at the radio, confused. "I swear to god, you two were listening to POP FM?" 

He turned off the radio and rolled his eyes. He slipped out of his Adidas and threw them toward the direction of the front door. It was then when he realized how eerily silent and cold his home was. He rubbed his arms and thought for a minute.  _Zayn and Niall are definitely not here, they can't be quiet for longer than 5 minutes. I'll call them._

Louis pulled out his phone and hit Zayn's contact number. He was more likely to pick up, since Niall got wasted and lost his phone atleast three times a week. It rang for about ten seconds before Zayn picked up, "'Lo?" 

"Hey Z, you still at Matt's?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, did you change your mind? We'll be here for another few hours if you wanna stop by." He said.

"No, uh, just I came home and like my radio was playing? I don't know, I didn't leave it on but you know, technology." He let out an awkward laugh and eyed the radio in the corner of the room.

"It wasn't us, we've been at Matt's the whole time. Was it Liam?" He asked.

"No, he doesn't have a key. Unless he broke in to listen to the fuckin' radio."

Zayn laughed, "maybe your house is haunted, bro."

"Fuck you, I'm going to bed. Night Z." 

"Night Lou, hope you're okay."

Louis shrugged, even though Zayn couldn't tell over the phone. He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

-

Harry watched as Louis hung up and walked into the kitchen. Okay, shit. He felt bad. Then Zayn joked about Louis' house being haunted. If only Louis knew. Harry made his way to the kitchen and almost screamed at himself.

"What the hell?" Louis asked, looking at the spot on the counter  where his fruit was earlier. 

Harry forgot that he'd eaten all Louis' bananas. In his defense, he hadn't eaten in weeks. Even as a ghost, he could feel hunger. It just wasn't as intense as people feel it. It also didn't effect him, just made his stomach rumble every once in a while. Damn it, he wish he had closure so he could leave his earth. He can leave the house, it's just unsafe because he can only be invisible for so long. If he is visible outside of his house, people might recognize him. His murder was a huge deal because the person who killed him was never caught. They're also a suspected serial killer. Harry would look for the person who killed him, he just had no idea what they looked like. Or where they lived. Or why they killed him.

Anyway, Louis looked around the kitchen and sighed. He leaned against the counter and held his head in his hands. His body was still for a few moments, then with one final glance at the counter, he left the room. Harry followed him upstairs and to his bedroom. Louis stripped to his briefs (Harry tried not to enjoy the view too much because he was kind of stalking). Then, he shut the door and turned off the light before collapsing in bed.

Harry sat in the beanbag in the corner, thinking to himself. 

Louis flipped onto his back after a minute and turned on the TV. He watched something on MTV as Harry faintly started to feel his surroundings. He could smell the weed on Louis from a few hours earlier and he began to be able to feel the beans in the bag.  _Shit._

He knew he had about ten seconds before Louis would be able to see him. Harry dropped to the ground and army crawled to the closet across the room. The door was open enough for Harry to slip through. He thanked whatever god there was for the closet large enough to fit him in. He leaned against the wall and hoped Louis had no reason to go near the closet.

-

Louis woke up the next morning and stretched his sore muscles. He walked downstairs to get himself a cup of tea when he was met with the sight of Zayn and Niall in his kitchen. 

"What are you two doing here?" He asked, sliding into a seat as Niall handed him a cup of tea. 

"Gonna help you move stuff into your basement so you don't have boxes of storage stuff in your living room." Niall said. 

Louis nodded slowly and finished the rest of his tea. 

"Want some toast?" Zayn asked.

"No. Tea fills me up enough." Louis answered.

"Got any fruit?" Niall asked, eyeing Louis' counters.

"No, actually, someone ate my bananas? I had four and they were there when I left last night. When I came back, they were gone." 

"Seriously?" Zayn asked, biting into a piece of toast.

Louis nodded.

"You should probably check around your house, make sure no one broke in." Zayn suggested.

"Who would break in and listen to the pop station and eat my bananas?" Louis asked.

"Some fuckin' weirdo." Niall laughed.

Louis rolled his eyes, "Let's carry boxes downstairs."

-

Zayn and Niall left around lunchtime, so Louis went downstairs to organize his boxes. He grabbed a larger one and carried it to the other side of the stairs, where he noticed a door underneath. A closet, maybe? Or maybe Harry Potter lived there. He laughed and opened the door, dust blowing into his face. He peered inside and noticed a small brown box off to the left. There was a blanket of dust over it, and it was cracked with age. 

He blew off some dust and wiped the rest off with his sleeve. On the top,  _Harry_  was engraved in gold letters.The shiny gold contrasted with the dull brown of the wooden box.

Louis traced his finger over the smooth lettering, then unlatched the box and opened it. Inside, a couple of items were set upon each other. Louis' heart hurt, somebody left their past behind like this. He shouldn't be prying into their life. He shut the box and shoved it into the corner. He stood up and shut the door to the closet before rushing upstairs.

For the rest of the day, he thought about the box. Who's box was it? Who was Harry? Why was it left behind? 

Louis called Zayn.

"I think you should look into the history of your house." Zayn suggested.

Louis hung up after a long conversation with Zayn. He decided, yes, that's what he's going to do. Then he went to his computer.

-

Harry watched from behind Louis as Louis went through websites about the history of his house. It showed homeowners, but never who rented the homes. Harry knew Louis was going to find out soon enough. He might as well have some fun before Louis finds out.

He walked to the door that connected Louis' study and the hallway and shut it. Louis' head turned so fast Harry's surprised he didn't get whiplash. Louis' jaw was almost to the ground as he got up and opened it, peeking out to make sure no one was in the hallway.

"Holy shit." He muttered to himself. 

He stood there for a moment before walking back to his computer and sitting down. Harry could tell he was thinking. Then Harry left the room and went to the bathroom in the next room over. He turned on the faucet for the bath tub and waited for Louis to notice.

Louis rushed over about thirty seconds later. He turned off the water and put his hands up to his head, gripping his hair in frustration. Harry wanted to laugh, but he knew he shouldn't take it too far. He didn't get the chance to mess with people often. Louis went back to his study and called someone.

They picked up after a few seconds.

"Zayn? I think my house is haunted." He whispered.

Harry grinned.

-

The realization led Louis to google his home instead of searching home record websites. He found an article mentioning a Harry Styles, 20, who "was murdered in his California home."

**20 Year Old Harry Styles Murdered in his Home  
**

**9/02/11, Written by Joan Mission.**

**Harry Styles, a beloved member of our community, died on Thursday night in his home. (Insert address and town here). His mother was bringing him breakfast on Friday morning. She entered his home on Oak Street and discovered blood stains and signs of a struggle. She called 911 immediately, and police arrived on the scene minutes later. Neighbors reported hearing commotion, but thought he had friends over. A search was called to find Styles' body, and it was found days later in the mountains by a local couple. Autopsy reports show he was strangled, beaten, and stabbed repeatedly. His murderer nor the murder weapons have been found. The case was like those of Dylan Jefferson's, Amanda Kite's, and Vanna Zhao's. Officials reported there are key things that have linked the four cases. They won't disclose anything until the killer is caught. A private service with friends and family will be held for Harry on Saturday.**

Louis sat, stunned at the information. His house was definitely haunted. Harry lived in his house. Harry was murdered in his house. Harry still lived in his house. Louis scrolled through a few images. It was weird seeing is house online through such a different context. He suddenly felt bad. He just moved on into Harry's house and invaded his space. He knew the presence he felt was something. It was someone who lost their life too early. Someone who liked listening to pop music and eating fruit. Someone who didn't want to harm Louis.

Louis turned around, looking around the room.

"I'm sorry." He said, a small frown on his face.

He turned off the computer and sat for a minute, then he left the room.

-

Harry hadn't recalled the details of his murder in such a long time. A deep sadness caused his heart to ache as he read the article. He didn't know his mother called the police, he never wanted his mother to see any of that. He almost sobbed but held it back.

Louis finished reading and sat in silence for a few moments. He turned towards Harry, like he knew he was there, with a pained expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." He said. 

Harry shuddered. He hadn't had anyone talk to him since the night he died, which he could barely remember. He remembered partying but not drinking, then going home and being strangled. He must have been dead or unconscious for the rest of it because he didn't recall being beaten or stabbed. The thing he regrets most is not getting a look at his killer's face. If he knew he was going to die and become a ghost until the case has closure, he would have listened to their voice more. The way they growled the words, "Good night."

Louis got up and left the room. Harry followed. He followed him all the way to the basement, back to the closet Harry used to store his old clothes in. What was Louis doing there?

Louis pulled out a box, a box Harry recognized immediately.

It was a present from his grandma when he was six. He was encouraged to store his favorite things in it. He used it until he moved out. He left it in his childhood room. His mom must have put it there. 

Louis opened it and Harry stood about three feet behind him, shaking at the items he saw inside.

Louis pulled out his paper airplane necklace, the one he got from Gemma when he turned 18. He wore it every day, even the night he died. His poor mom had to wash off his blood stained necklace. 

Next, Louis held up a picture of Harry. Harry remembered the day. It was his 20th birthday party. His friends had thrown him a huge party, and Harry remembered only a few things since he got wasted. He did remember declaring it the best night of his life. In the picture, he was standing between Brittany and Claire, two of his friends from college. He was laughing, and looked genuinely happy. He didn't know who took the picture, but he was glad they captured the moment.

The next item was Harry's baby blanket. It was a deep green, with frogs all over it. His mother made it for him. Harry never used it after he turned one, but he kept it anyway.

Louis held up another picture. It was of Harry, his mom, and Gemma. Their cat was sitting in the corner licking his paw. Gemma was sticking her tongue out and holding up bunny ears behind Harry's head. Harry was grinning along with their mom. Harry remembered it being a more recent Easter, he was probably 19 in it. He missed his family. He didn't know in just over a year he'd be dead. He would have lived more.

A few tears fell from his eyes as Louis went through pictures of Harry and his friends and family. Harry was vaguely aware of the fact he could feel tears running down his face. He also felt the floor beneath his feet. He could smell the dusty basement, but he couldn't bring himself to care. 

Louis found some of the rings Harry wore sometimes, then he held up the last item in the box. It was a picture of Harry.

His hair was pushed back in the picture. His curls were bordering the wild side but he could tell it was from partying. A crowd of people were doing shots in the background and Harry's face was faintly red. Someone's hands were wrapped around his forearm, like they were about to pull him away. Harry was in a blue flannel with a tight white shirt beneath it. His black skinny jeans were tight around his legs and his signature brown boots were as beat up as ever. He couldn't help but smile. People always made fun of those boots. Picture Harry was smiling as wide as he could, dimples popping out. Some guy in the background held up two peace signs and tried to get in the picture, his face blurry from movement. Harry tried to place the night, then he knew.

That was from the night he died.

Harry gasped and suddenly felt dizzy. He felt. He could feel. Fuck.

Louis turned around and shouted in surprise. He almost dropped the picture of Harry, but he clutched it tightly as he stumbled backwards. His back met the wall and his hands turned white from gripping his thighs.

_"Holy shit,"_ He said in shock. 

Harry was aware that he still had tears running down his face, but he ignored them.

"Louis, I-"

"You know my name!?" Louis asked. "Nevermind, how are you- why can I see you, what the  _hell?"_

Louis took a moment to breathe. "Why are you crying?"

"You would cry too if you just saw your whole life come out of a box after being dead for four years." Harry answered.

"I'm sorry." Louis muttered.

They sat in an awkward silence for a minute as Harry tried to dry his tears and Louis shook in shock.

"I can see why you're freaked out, but can we make you some tea so we can talk?" Harry asked.

Louis hesitated before nodding and following Harry up the stairs. 


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'll try to update once a week but they will be short updates. I'm back at school and always busy. For longer updates, it might take me 3 weeks to be honest. I feel guilty when I don't update for a while, so for now there will be short updates every week and more chapters.  
> Thank you for reading, this one isn't as good as my first two chapters haha

Louis stood near the counter, his large white comforter draped over his small body. Harry could tell he was gripping it out of fear, or maybe he didn't want it to fall. Maybe both. He shook random thoughts away and looked back up at Louis.

Louis, as stated, was gripping his heavy blanket with one hand. His other hand was holding his steaming tea. He'd already spilled a little when he first got it because of how much he was shaking. He had managed to calm down in a few minutes. He kept glancing between Harry and the floor like there was a tennis match going on between the two. 

After a minute of glancing and sipping, Louis spoke up.

"So, what the  _hell_ is happening right now?" 

"You're talking to a ghost." Harry grinned.

Louis frowned and sighed. "Harr-"

"No. I'm sorry, I should take this seriously." Harry said, unfolding his hands and placing one on his knee to tap on it gently.

Louis bit his lip and nodded, an intense stare focused on Harry.

"I have so many questions." Louis whispered.

"It's okay, I would too. You can ask me anything, I'll try to answer it."

"Okay," Louis said. "What have you done for four years?"

"Um, I've just relaxed, wandered, slept, messed with retailers and stuff." Harry shrugged.

"Doesn't it get boring? Doesn't time feel like it's going really slow?" Louis asked.

"No. Time passes by pretty quickly as long as I don't focus much on it. I can sleep even when I'm not tired." He answered, playing with his long fingers.

"Can you leave the house?" Louis asked.

"Yes, but I don't. I visited my mom once but it was too much to handle. Also, I can't be invisible for too long. It wears off and being visible is the only way to build up power to be invisible. So if I went outside and turned visible again, I'd be screwed. This town isn't the biggest, people will remember me if they see me." He explained.

"You don't want anyone to know you're alive?" Louis asked.

"I mean, not really. They'd just freak out and tell people and it would be hard to explain to everyone. It's easier for me to be dead." He shrugged again.

Louis nodded, processing his words. 

"I'm sorry." He murmured.

Harry gave him a small smile, "No need to apologize."

They sat in silence for a moment. Harry noticed that Louis wasn't as stiff as before, but he wasn't exactly comfortable. Well, it would take time.

"Are you gonna move?" Harry asked.

Louis raised his eyebrows, " _What?_ Of course not!"

"Really?"

"Yes, really! Why would I move? You're nice, I don't think you're going to kill me, and it's not your fault you died here. Unless you want me gone." Louis said.

"I don't." Harry grinned.

"Good." Louis smiled.

-

They were lying in Louis' bed watching Catfish the next day. Harry asked if Louis wanted him invisible the day before, and Louis gave him a weird look and said it would be creepy. He then told Harry they were gonna be best friends and housemates. That meant Harry could be visible around him and sleep on the couch as long as he helped clean and cook.

Louis turned and looked at Harry when it went to a commercial break. Harry raised his eyebrow at him.

"Spit it out." Harry said.

"Well," Louis swallowed. "Do you know who killed you?"

Harry tensed up and gripped the blanket beneath him.

"I'm sorry, forget I asked." Louis said, ready to turn back to the TV.

"No, it's fine. I don't know." Harry said.

"Really?" Louis asked.

"Yeah. I didn't see their face, they attacked me from behind. I only heard their voice." Harry said.

"They spoke to you?" Louis asked, surprised.

"Yeah." 

"Well, what did they fuckin' say?" Louis sat up.

"Um, they said 'Good night' then they started strangling me." Harry's voice was deep and sad. His gaze was focused on his hands.

"Harry, oh my god." Louis said, sadness evident in his voice.

His arms wrapped around Harry's torso and he clung to him. Harry didn't cry, but his eyes were watering. He was pretty sure Louis was crying but he didn't want to say anything. Especially when Louis wasn't cracking jokes and being a little shit for once.

They sat there for a while before Harry realized Louis' body was limp and he was letting out light, even breaths. He'd fallen asleep with his arms around Harry, as big as Harry was, and it made Harry's heart drop to his stomach. He was a  _ghost,_ and for all he knew, Louis could still be wary of him. Yeah, they'd gotten over the whole "I've seen you walking around the house naked and singing Nicki Minaj" weirdness at the beginning (which was hard for Harry to admit but Louis asked), but Harry was a ghost! He was literally dead, yet here he was cuddling with the only person who knew he was alive. 

Harry gulped and allowed himself to drift off into a light sleep.

-

The next morning, Louis woke up with his face pressed into someone's armpit. He let out a startled huff and sat up, knocking the person's arm down and waking them up. Then he remembered the ghost he'd known for two days and pressed his hand to his head. It was all too much to take in, Louis was surprised he wasn't as scared of Harry as he was at first. It was different after hearing Harry's side of the story, but still. He lived with a ghost.

Harry blinked and squinted before running a hand through his hair and licking his lips. 

"Do you always wear the same clothes?" Louis asked, yawning.

Harry blinked once before nodding slowly, "Never could get myself a change of clothes."

"You can wear some of mine," Louis suggested.

Harry let out a small laugh, "Louis, you're tiny."

Louis scowled and hopped off the bed. He slipped into his closet and appeared a minute later with a pair of baggy sweatpants.

"You bought size L sweatpants for yourself?" Harry asked, a smile on his face.

"No, they're Liam's." He said.

Harry's smile dimmed a little then he let it slide into a comfortable upturn.

"You know who Liam is, right?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah... I kind of know everything you've said or done in this house." 

Louis coughed a little. " I don't think I'll ever get over that fact."

Harry shrugged, looking down.

"So how loud am I in bed?" Louis asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Harry laughed, "Want me to show you?"

Louis smiled, "I don't-"

"LIAM! OH MY GOD LI, KEEP GOING!" Harry shouted in a high pitched voice.

"Stop!" Louis yelled, laughing as he threw a pillow at Harry.

They both fell back on the bed, laughing and play fighting.

"You're blushing!" Harry exclaimed.

Louis scoffed and stood up again.

"I'm gonna go make some tea, want to join me?" He asked.

Harry shrugged and stood up. When Louis left the room, he changed into Liam's sweatpants and skipped to the kitchen.


End file.
